


The Switch

by lemonchase



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkwardness, Banter, Bickering, Bodyswap, Friendship, Hinata Shouyou is a Good Friend, Humor, Insults, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Oblivious Kageyama Tobio, Oikawa Tooru in Denial, Oikawa Tooru is Bad at Feelings, Oikawa Tooru's Hair, One or Two Sexual Jokes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Kageyama Tobio, POV Male Character, POV Third Person, Rated T for Mild Language, Tokyo Training Camp Arc (Haikyuu), Volleyball Dorks & Nerds, very minor manga spoiler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 17,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28129485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonchase/pseuds/lemonchase
Summary: Once per lifetime, you switch bodies with your soulmate. It usually happens between the age of sixteen and eighteen. Tobio knows that but it's still a shock when he feels dizzy during a practice match against Fukurodani and suddenly finds himself in a bedroom that he doesn't recognize. A bedroom that, as it turns out, belongs to his former Junior High captain.Oikawa will beso pissedto be stuck with Tobio.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Kageyama Tobio & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 231
Kudos: 848





	1. Chapter 1

Tobio doesn't get any kind of warning. One moment, he's in the middle of a practice match against Fukurodani, the next, he's suddenly feeling very sick. Tobio wraps his arms around his stomach and closes his eyes.

As suddenly as the feeling appeared, it disappears again. Tobio takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. He recognized the symptoms, of course, the sudden feeling of having to throw up, that you can read about in every book about soulmates, but it's still a shock to find himself at an entirely different place. In someone's bedroom, to be exact.

He just switched bodies with his soulmate.

Tobio groans. Why did that have to happen _today_? Now he will miss out on the rest of the training camp.

Switching bodies with your soulmate happens to everyone once per lifetime, usually between the age of sixteen and eighteen. Since Tobio is still fifteen, his soulmate is probably at least eighteen. Well, it's not like Tobio cares about how old his soulmate is. He isn't very interested in soulmates in general. The way he sees it, he either likes his soulmate, or he doesn't. And if he doesn't, there is no reason to spend any amount of time with them.

Tobio shakes his head and looks around.

He's surprised that the room is crammed full with volleyball stuff. Tobio can see two balls, magazines, books, and even posters. Immediately, Tobio's mood takes a turn for the better. Yeah, it still sucks that he was forcefully dragged away from playing volleyball, but if this is his soulmate's bedroom, they probably play volleyball as well. It's good to know that his soulmate shares that passion with him.

After taking a look at his surroundings, Tobio focuses his attention on the body he's in. He doesn't want to touch his soulmate's body with hands that aren't even his - that would be pretty creepy, after all - but there are still some things Tobio can pick up on even with just looking down on himself and focusing on how he feels.

The first thing he notices is that his soulmate is a guy, which is a relief. He never was very interested in girls. Sure, Yachi and Shimizu are nice, but Tobio still wouldn't want either of them to be his soulmate.

_So my soulmate is a guy. So far, so good._ Tobio moves his arms and legs experimentally and is pleased to notice that his soulmate seems to be pretty muscular. _Good. That probably means that he takes volleyball seriously._

Tobio looks at his soulmate's hands and instantly recognizes that his soulmate takes good care of his fingers. The fingernails are kept neat and short, and even though his hands are callused, indicating that he uses them often, his fingers look perfectly healthy.

"Why are you staring at your hands like that?"

Tobio flinches and looks up. He didn't even hear that someone opened the door and stepped into the room. He's pretty sure that the person didn't knock. But that isn't what surprises him the most. His eyes widen, and his mouth drops open.

" _I-Iwaizumi-san_?"

Iwaizumi flinches. "What the hell? What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"I...no, I don't feel sick," Tobio mutters while his eyes dart around, taking in his surroundings once again, looking for a clue who's bedroom this is. But he doesn't find anything that could give him a hint. Now that he thinks about it, he might just as well be in Iwaizumi's room, and then his surroundings won't tell him anything at all. It looks like he'll have to ask Iwaizumi who his soulmate is.

He looks back at Iwaizumi, who folds his arms. "What's going on? You're acting weird."

Tobio takes a deep breath. "I just switched bodies with my soulmate. Can you tell me who's body this is?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have noticed, I'm not a native speaker. Feel free to correct mistakes of any kind in the comments.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh," Iwaizumi says and blinks. "Well, that explains a lot. Your soulmate's name is Oikawa Tooru, though that probably won't tell you anything."

Tobio's mouth drops open, and for a couple of seconds, he is literally at a loss for words. Then he closes his mouth and swallows hard.

" _Oikawa-san_? Are you serious?"

Iwaizumi looks surprised. "You know him? Oh, wait. You knew my name as well, so that isn't that surprising after all." Suddenly Iwaizumi starts to grin. "You don't look very thrilled about it, though. I kind of thought most girls would be happy to find out that Oikawa is their soulmate."

Tobio doesn't know what to say to that, apart from, "I'm not a girl."

"Oh. Huh. I didn't know that Oikawa is bi. Whenever he talked about his ideal soulmate, he always described a cute girl with short, black hair who loves volleyball."

Tobio frowns. "Great. One more reason for Oikawa-san to hate me."

"I highly doubt he hates you. There are actually only two people he strongly dislikes, for pretty petty reasons, if you ask me. Ushijima Wakatoshi and-"

"Me," Tobio finishes his sentence. He looks down at those perfect hands. Why didn't he recognize them immediately? He spent a lot of time looking at Oikawa's hands when he was his captain. "This is stupid. Oikawa-san always talked about finding his soulmate back in Junior High. He will be so pissed to be stuck with me."

Tobio tries to imagine what Oikawa did when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a volleyball court in Tokyo, surrounded by Tobio's teammates. Did he throw a temper tantrum when he realized that Tobio is his soulmate?

"Wait...did I get that right? You're Kageyama Tobio?"

Right. He didn't tell Iwaizumi his name yet. "Yes."

"Oh," Iwaizumi says, and then he suddenly starts laughing. Tobio tries his best not to feel offended, but he can't help but frown. He always thought of Iwaizumi as someone to look up to, someone who doesn't make fun of other people. But maybe he was wrong about that. Wouldn't be the first time. He never was very good at reading people, after all. It was a complete surprise for him, for example, when Oikawa almost hit him that one time.

"Sorry, Kageyama," Iwaizumi says, once his laughter dies down. "It's just that I didn't expect you to be Oikawa's soulmate. Well, at least you aren't Ushiwaka."

Tobio thinks back to his Junior High days and nods. "Yes. That would have been an even bigger disaster."

"I don't think that you two being soulmates is a disaster. Sure, it will be challenging at first, but now that I think about it, I think you two fit together quite well, actually."

"Oh, really," Tobio drawls, not convinced at all. Iwaizumi is probably only saying that to make him feel better. Though why he would bother doing that right after laughing at Tobio is beyond him.

"Yeah. I always thought that Oikawa was a little bit too obsessed with you. Sure, I can understand that he didn't like to have a genius on his team, that he was afraid that you will surpass him one day, but still...And he often liked to include the word _cute_ when he was insulting you, which always sounded kind of off. I'm a bit surprised that I never suspected him of having a crush on you before."

Tobio frowns. Just the idea of Oikawa having a crush on him sounds utterly ridiculous. Iwaizumi must be wrong. But that's not the part about Iwaizumi's little speech that confuses him the most.

"But I didn't play nearly as good as Oikawa did in my first Junior High year. Why was Oikawa-san afraid that I'll surpass him one day?" How could Oikawa think that Tobio will get better than him at a time when he still had trouble with the basics of volleyball, like serving and receiving? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Er," Iwaizumi says, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I think you should talk about that with Oikawa, face to face. I already said more than he would want me to."

Tobio wants to protest and say that Oikawa will refuse to talk about that. But when he opens his mouth, he suddenly feels something vibrating in his pocket. Tobio pulls the thing out, which turns out to be a phone. An unknown number is calling him. Or, rather, a number that the phone doesn't recognize. Tobio knows it quite well since it's _his_ number.

Iwaizumi takes a couple of steps towards him and looks down on the phone as well.

"That's probably Oikawa calling," Iwaizumi says. He can't know that Tobio knows that already, of course. "You should put it on speaker. I'll be able to keep Oikawa in check if he acts too much like himself."

Tobio nods and braces himself. Then he presses the green button and puts the phone on speaker.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oikawa-san?"

There is a sigh at the other end of the line. "Yes, Tobio-chan. Who else did you expect?"

Tobio grimaces. It feels weird to hear Oikawa call him _Tobio-chan_ while he's using Tobio's voice.

"I don't know," Tobio responds, suddenly very aware of how he sounds himself. Will it be as weird for Oikawa as it is for him? "Maybe one of my teammates? I thought you might not want to talk with me." _Especially so soon after finding out that we're soulmates._

"I don't _want_ to talk with you, but I don't have a choice, do I?" Tobio frowns. What is that supposed to mean? "Is Iwa-chan still there?"

"Don't call him Iwa-chan," Tobio says without thinking. "It sounds weird, coming from my mouth."

"I'm gonna say whatever the hell I want," Oikawa snaps. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Don't be such a dick, Oikawa," Iwaizumi says, and Tobio looks at him just in time to see him narrowing his eyes slightly.

"The phone is on speaker, then?" Oikawa says, utterly ignoring Iwaizumi's comment. "Good. Let's get this over with. Your teammates want you to come to Tokyo. Tanaka called his sister, and she's willing to drive you."

Tobio sits up straighter. Does that mean that he won't miss out on the rest of the training camp after all? It almost sounds too good to be true.

"Tokyo?" Iwaizumi asks and turns to look at Tobio. "What are your teammates doing in Tokyo?"

"Sometimes, you're a bit slow, Iwa-chan," Oikawa says before Tobio can even open his mouth. "They're playing volleyball, of course. It looks like some sort of training camp. They will stay here tonight and drive back to Miyagi tomorrow."

Tobio frowns. "I could have explained that myself, Oikawa-san."

"Yeah, but not as fast as I did."

Tobio grinds his teeth and changes the subject. He doesn't _want_ to fight about minor stuff like that right now. "You're fine with me bringing your body to Tokyo, Oikawa-san?"

"I guess," Oikawa says begrudgingly. "But since I'm doing you such a favor, I want Iwa-chan to come with you. It'll get boring if I have to stay here all by myself, otherwise."

Iwaizumi snorts. "And you think that I want to waste the rest of my weekend as well? Has anyone ever told you that you're pretty self-centered?"

"Yes. You do that all the time," Oikawa answers nonchalantly. "I don't think you'll be wasting your time if you accompany Tobio-chan. The teams here are pretty strong, as far as I can tell. You could learn a lot by watching them. They even have one of the top five spikers in the nation playing on one of the teams. I can't think of his name right now."

"His name is Bokuto Koutarou," Tobio throws in. "He's really good."

Iwaizumi looks at Tobio oddly. "How come Karasuno practices with a guy like that?"

Tobio blinks. "Coach Nekomata invited us," He says, not understanding the question. Does Iwaizumi think they had to blackmail someone for that to happen, or what?

Oikawa sighs. "Tobio-chan is obviously the wrong person to ask that question. I asked Chibi-chan, and he told me all about how that came to be. I'll tell you about it when you get here, Iwa-chan."

Tobio feels like protesting. He _did_ answer the question. What more is there to tell than that they got invited? But he holds his tongue. Oikawa seems to be annoyed with him already, and he doesn't want to test his luck. Oikawa could still change his mind and say that he won't allow Tobio to bring his body to Tokyo.

"Um, did you talk about all the logistical aspects with Takeda-sensei?" Tobio can't help but ask. He doesn't want to arrive in Tokyo, only to find out that there aren't enough futons, for example. That would be annoying. Tobio doesn't want to sleep on the floor.

"Wow, you know what the word _logistical_ means? I'm impressed, Tobio-chan."

Iwaizumi sighs. "You're such a crappy guy."

"I'm not!" Oikawa huffs. "Whatever. Yes, there is enough food, and so on for you two and Tanaka's sister. No need to worry your pretty little head about something like that."

"Pretty little head?" Tobio asks, confused.

There is a short pause in which nobody says anything. Then he can hear Oikawa taking a deep breath.

"Well, you're in my body right now," Oikawa responds cheerfully. His voice sounds off, somehow, but that might only be because Tobio isn't used to his own voice sounding _cheerful_ , of all things. "I'm quite good-looking. Of course, my head is pretty."

"So...you think you have a _pretty little head_?" Tobio asks to make sure that he understood that right. It sounds weird. _Little_ isn't the first thing that comes to mind when Tobio thinks about Oikawa's head. Pretty, on the other hand...Yeah, as far as Tobio knows, Oikawa's head is considered pretty.

"Oh, shut up, Tobio-chan!" Oikawa snaps. "Tanaka's sister will be there in about half an hour." 

And just like that, Oikawa ends the call, without a word of goodbye. Tobio looks down on the phone, beyond confused. Did he say something wrong? Why was Oikawa so pissed at the end?

He glances at Iwaizumi, who starts laughing. Great. It doesn't look like he'll get an explanation from Iwaizumi, either.


	4. Chapter 4

Tobio wakes up from someone shaking his shoulder.

"Hm?" Tobio mutters and opens his eyes.

"We'll arrive in a couple of minutes. I thought I should wake you since Oikawa always feels sluggish after sleeping. I hope you aren't too tired?"

Tobio blinks and sits up straighter. They are almost there. Soon, he'll be able to play volleyball again. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Iwaizumi-san." When Iwaizumi grimaces, he adds, "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just - I've never heard Oikawa call me _Iwaizumi-san_ before. It sounds wrong. But it's fine, I guess. It's easier to remember that you're not Oikawa, this way."

"Good. Because I don't want to call you...you know what." Tobio can't even say it out loud.

"What?" Tanaka's sister asks. "What does the pretty boy call you, Hajime-kun?"

Iwaizumi sighs and rolls his eyes. "Iwa-chan."

Tanaka's sister laughs out loud and almost collides with another car.

It's a testament to how bad Tanaka's sister drives that neither Iwaizumi nor Tobio call her out on that. After spending a couple of hours in the car with her, you get used to that kind of thing.

A short while later, they arrive at their destination, and Tobio eagerly climbs out of the car. _Finally._ He has wasted more than enough time because of this soulmate-nonsense.

They make their way to the gym, and Tobio has a bit of a deja-vu when he opens the door. It's already the second time that he arrives late to a training camp. This time around is pretty different, of course. Iwaizumi stands next to him instead of Hinata, for starters, and it's not his fault that he's late.

It doesn't surprise him that people turn to look at him. Most of the people here have never seen Oikawa or Iwaizumi. Tobio knows, though, that Hinata told stories about the _Great King_ and _Seijoh's ace_ to some Nekoma and Fukorodani players. For a brief moment, Tobio wonders what Oikawa had to put up with in the last couple of hours - there are some pretty intense players on both Nekoma and Fukorodani, after all - but then he decides that he shouldn't have to worry about that. Oikawa isn't his responsibility. He can take care of himself.

Tobio barely has time to take a look around when Tobio suddenly hears a very familiar voice.

"What did you do to my hair?!"

Tobio blinks and watches as his own body comes towards him. It's a very strange experience. He didn't know that his eyes are blazing like that when he's angry. Now he can understand Hinata's complaints a little bit better. It _does_ look kind of intimidating.

Tobio freezes when Oikawa stops in front of him and raises his hand. What's he going to do?

The answer is simple. He starts pulling Tobio's hair. Not aggressively - it doesn't hurt at all - but hard enough to be annoying. Confused, Tobio watches as Oikawa's eyes narrow.

"Iwa-chan, why do you let him wander around like he just woke up? It's embarrassing!"

Iwaizumi snorts. "He doesn't just _look_ like he just woke up. He _did_ just wake up. All because you acted like an irresponsible child and stayed up all night!"

"Did not!"

"Yes, you did! Kageyama slept almost the whole drive here! And you're still tired, right, Kageyama?" Iwaizumi turns to look at him.

"Uh," Tobio mutters. He hates to be put on the spot like that. "A little bit, yes."

"Tobio-chan!" Oikawa whines and finally lets go of Tobio's hair. Tobio cringes at the sound and vows to never _ever_ whine like that. It sounds horrible. "Why do you always have to be so honest and sincere?"

Tobio frowns. "Why should I lie about that?"

Oikawa folds his arms and doesn't respond. He looks pissed, but Tobio doesn't care. Staying up all night is unhealthy and irresponsible. Tobio doesn't like playing volleyball when he's tired. He sees no reason why he should try to conceal that Oikawa did something so dumb. But before Tobio can voice any of that out loud, he hears loud footsteps coming towards him. He looks past Oikawa and spots Hinata's red hair.

"Kageyama! Finally! I'm tired of sitting on the bench all day!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Just get better, dumbass. Then you won't have to sit on the bench when I'm not there."

Hinata wrinkles his nose. "Wow, I didn't think it would sound so wrong to hear the Great King call me _dumbass_."

"I'm not Oikawa-san," Tobio says, confused. 

Hinata rolls his eyes. "I know that. But you _sound_ like the Great King right now." Hinata pauses for a second. "Though don't really _look_ like the Great King. I think it's your face. You're glaring too much and look too pissed off. The Great King doesn't do that a whole lot."

Oikawa snorts. Tobio tries to ignore how eerily familiar that sounds. He can't wait to get back to his own body. It's too distracting to have someone else controlling his body.

"Chibi-chan is right. Stop making that face. It's creepy and doesn't suit me at all."

Tobio glares at the both of them. "It's nothing I do consciously. I don't know how to look...however the hell you want me to look. It's unimportant, anyway. You'll have your body back soon anyway, Oikawa-san."

Seriously. Why are they even talking about this? Sure, it's strange to see Oikawa using his body in ways Tobio never would, but it's not that hard to ignore or deal with. I'd be different if they had switched bodies permanently. Luckily, something like that is impossible. It has never happened before.

You usually switch bodies for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. There are some instances in with the time is shorter or longer, but not by a whole lot. Tobio doesn't know under which circumstances the Switch is shorter or longer than the norm. He only knows the very basics since he was never interested in soulmates.

Tobio shakes his head to clear his thoughts and looks around to see where the rest of his teammates are. He sees that Karasuno is in the middle of a match against Ubugawa.

"What was the score when you came over, Hinata?"

"6-5 for Ubugawa. We're still on the first set. "

Tobio nods. "Okay. I need to get changed and warm up before I can start playing. Tell the rest of the team that I'll be back soon."

Tobio is almost out of the gym when he hears Oikawa's voice. "Don't look where you shouldn't, Tobio-chan, understood? I'll know if you did."

Tobio needs a moment until he understands what Oikawa means. Then he blushes. _God._ How embarrassing. As if Tobio would need that warning. He won't look at Oikawa's body any closer than he has to. He isn't a creep.

Tobio hears someone yelling, "Ow!", which probably means that Iwaizumi just smacked Oikawa.

Good. He deserves it. Tobio walks out of the gym without looking back.

After Oikawa's warning, changing clothes feels more awkward than he anticipated. He only looks straight ahead so that he doesn't catch a glimpse of Oikawa's naked legs.

Tobio wonders just how uncomfortable it will be to take a shower in Oikawa's body after practice. There is no way he'll sleep drenched in sweat. That's too disgusting. Still, the idea of touching Oikawa's body, even if it's only to clean it, doesn't sound that great either. It feels too intimate. He doesn't feel comfortable with Oikawa doing that with Tobio's body, either.

Whatever. Right now, he shouldn't be focusing on something like that. He has a game to win. And he's pretty excited to find out how different it will be to play volleyball in Oikawa's body. Oikawa is stronger and taller than him, and Tobio wants to see how that will enhance his performance on the court.

Unfortunately, it turns out that those qualities _don't_ enhance Tobio's performance only a couple of minutes after stepping onto the court. Tobio isn't used to how Oikawa's body feels. This way, the added strength and height are a disadvantage, instead. He keeps underestimating how high the ball is, and he puts too much force behind his serves and sets.

Nothing suffers as much from Tobio being in Oikawa's body as his quick attack with Hinata, though. After the weeklong training camp, where they successfully used their quick attack for the first time in a practice match, their success rate had been steadily increasing. Before Tobio switched bodies with Oikawa, about eighty percent of their quick attacks were successful. Now, only about a third of them succeed. Tobio catches himself frowning down at his hands more than once.

Oikawa's and Tobio's hands aren't that different. At least, Tobio doesn't think so. Oikawa's fingers seem to be a bit longer, and his fingernails are a tiny bit too long for Tobio's taste, but he doesn't see any other noticeable differences. But those small differences are enough to prevent the quick attack from working correctly more often than not.

It's infuriating. Tobio knows, of course, that it's just a matter of not being used to Oikawa's body that is the problem. Still. Shouldn't he be able to adapt to being a bit taller, stronger, and having differently shaped hands relatively quickly?

At least, Oikawa doesn't see how often he messes up. He and Iwaizumi sit as far away from them as possible and only watch the practice matches of the other schools. Oikawa already did that before Tobio arrived, which he is very grateful for. He doesn't want Oikawa - or Iwaizumi, for that matter - to analyze all the things they worked so hard on. It would give them an unfair advantage during the upcoming tournament.

They lose the match against Ubugawa, and Tobio knows that that is mostly his fault. After they finished their penalty for losing, Tobio clears his throat and waits until his teammates and Ukai look at him.

"I'm sorry for messing up so much. Maybe Sugawara-san should take my place in the next match."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for clarification, in case some of you are confused: This fic takes place after the week-long training camp in which Kageyama and Hinata use their new quick attack for the first time. There were at least two other (shorter) training camps after that that we know of but we don't really see much of them in the manga/anime. This fic takes place during one of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish you all a happy new year! :)

For a moment, no one says anything. Then Hinata snorts and folds his arms.

"Since when do you give up so easily?"

Tobio narrows his eyes. "I'm not giving up. I just don't see how it's supposed to benefit any of us if I stay on the court." When Hinata opens his mouth, Tobio hastily adds, "Not just because I'm messing up so much. I'm not used to how Oikawa-san's body feels. He's taller and stronger, and his hands are shaped differently. I know that I will get used to that eventually but _should_ I? I'll be back in my own body soon. If I get used to Oikawa's body in the meantime, I'll have to spend time getting used to my own body as well. It just seems like a waste of time. Sugawara-san is a good setter. I'm sure you'll manage without me."

Hinata huffs. "So after I convinced the Great King to let you come here, you will just sit on the bench for the rest of the training camp? Do you really think -"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Tobio interrupts him impatiently. "I'm not the one who decides whether I stay on the court or not."

Tobio's eyes wander in Ukai's direction, and Tobio's teammates turn to look at him as well.

Ukai scratches his head. "It's true that your performance on the court has suffered from the Switch. There is no denying that. And there is still a lot we can work on if Sugawara is on the court."

Tobio nods. That's what he thought. Ukai sees it the same way Tobio does. There is no reason to let someone on the court who messes up as much as Tobio if there is a good replacement.

"But I still think you should remain on the court, Kageyama."

Tobio blinks. "What? Why?"

Ukai smiles slightly. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Literally. You won't ever get the chance to play volleyball in somebody else's body again. Getting used to your body feeling differently, adapting to it, and finding a way to make that quick attack with Hinata work properly, could benefit you a lot. Just think about it. You have trouble controlling the ball when your hands are taped, right? This is something similar. If you can adapt to playing in Oikawa's body, it might get easier to adapt to playing with tape on your fingers, as well."

Tobio frowns. He didn't think about it that way. Still, being in an entirely different body is very different from just having tape on your fingers. He isn't sure that it will help him with that. But Ukai must know that already, and Tobio doesn't _want_ to convince anybody to let him sit on the bench. He wants to stay on the court. Unless...

Tobio turns to look at Sugawara. "Are you fine with that?"

Sugawara cocks his head. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Only the best players are allowed to stay on the court." _And right now, I'm not at my best._

"So I'm not among the best?"

Tobio freezes. "I...I didn't mean it like that."

Sugawara chuckles softly. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Don't worry, Kageyama. I agree with Coach Ukai. It could benefit you a lot to play in Oikawa's body. Besides, I already played longer than I would have if you hadn't switched bodies with your soulmate."

"Okay," Tobio says uncomfortably, glad that Sugawara didn't get offended by what he said. He's lucky that they have someone as easygoing as Sugawara as their reserve setter.

"I can't believe that you're complaining that the Great King is too tall. I hope my soulmate will be taller than me, just to know what that it's like."

Hinata looks dreamily into the distance. Tobio can't help but sneer. Of course, Hinata ignores everything Tobio just said and only focuses on the fact that Tobio is taller right now. 

"You wouldn't know how to use a body like Oikawa-san's. Strength and height aren't enough to make you a good player."

Hinata's eyes widen. He looks slightly ill. Hopefully, he won't throw up. Wouldn't be the first time. "Please don't ever talk about me using the Great King's body again."

Tobio blushes. "Shut up, dumbass! You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, but why did you have to frame it like _that_?"

"There isn't a better word for it!"

"Yes, there is! _Controlling_ , for example, you-"

Hinata stops talking in the middle of his sentence, and Tobio instantly understands why. Sawamura is looking at them with that scary look.

"That's enough, you too," Sawamura says darkly.

Tobio bites his lips to prevent himself from saying that Hinata started their argument. He contents himself with giving Hinata an angry look. Why did Hinata have to make him feel uncomfortable like that?


	7. Chapter 7

Just as Tobio expected, it gets easier to play in Oikawa's body over the course of the day. His sets are less shaky, his serves don't end up out of bounds as often, and the success rate of Hinata's quick attack improves significantly. By the time they start playing their last set of the day, more than half of their quick attacks are successful. It's a significant improvement, but it still frustrates Tobio to no end that he's messing up so much. He can't remember the last time he played this poorly.

After they finished the last set - which they only barely managed to win - Tobio isn't sure what he's supposed to do. If he were in his own body, he would either practice their new quick attack with Hinata or work on the accuracy of his serves. But, just like earlier, he was to wonder whether that will even benefit him. The slight adjustments he has to make to improve his sets and serves probably won't work in his own body. Tobio doesn't think that it's the best use of his time right now.

As it turns out, Hinata already has something in mind. He grabs Tobio by the arms and starts pulling him away from their teammates, who are already splitting up for individual practice. Tobio frowns but doesn't struggle against Hinata's grip.

"Where are you going, dumbass?"

Hinata looks at him briefly. "To the other side of the gym."

Tobio rolls his eyes. "I can see that. But what are we-"

He stops talking when he sees Oikawa and Iwaizumi standing next to Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi. _Someone must have given Iwaizumi-san sports clothes. I think he wore something else on our drive here._

Tobio glances in Hinata's direction, wondering if _he_ knows why it looks like Oikawa and Iwaizumi are getting ready to play volleyball. But Hinata looks just as surprised as Tobio is.

Well. Actually, it isn't a surprise that Oikawa and Iwaizumi want to play _volleyball_ at a _volleyball training camp_. What is surprising, though, is that they already found people who want to practice with them.

For a moment, Tobio thinks about turning around and working on his serves instead. It might be better to stay away from Oikawa as much as possible. Somehow, every time they talk, it ends in some sort of argument.

But Tobio doesn't get a lot of chances to play against Oikawa. It'd be a shame to waste this opportunity.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Chibi-chan?" Oikawa asks once they are within earshot. "Scared to play against me again?"

"N-No, of c-course not," Hinata splutters.

Tobio scoffs and pulls his arm out of Hinata's loose grip. "We won't lose against you again."

"We'll see," Oikawa says nonchalantly. "So, how are we gonna do this? We're an uneven number of players-"

"No, we aren't," someone says, and Tobio turns around to glare at Tsukishima. What is _he_ doing here?

"Don't look at me like that, king," Tsukishima says, glancing at him briefly. _Like what_?, Tobio wants to ask, but by now, he knows that sometimes it's better to ignore Tsukishima. "This little group keeps getting bigger and bigger. Where's Lev?"

"Working on his receives with Yaku," Kuroo responds. "Looks like he wasn't able to sneak away this time."

Tobio frowns. _This_ time? Just how often has Tsukishima practiced with players from Nekoma and Fukurodani? And what _little group_ is Tsukishima talking about?

"Okay!" Bokuto says way too loudly. "Who will play against who?"

"I wanna play against Kageyama!" Hinata immediately says.

"Why?" Kageyama asks, confused. Hinata isn't stupid enough to think that he will score many points without their new quick attack.

Hinata looks at him like he thinks _Tobio_ is the stupid one. "Because I don't want to let the great king and Seijoh's ace see our new quick attack, of course!"

Right. Hinata doesn't know that he already talked with Oikawa about that quick attack once.

"Oikawa-san already knows-"

"So you actually managed to make it work?" Oikawa interrupts Tobio rudely. "I'm impressed, Tobio-chan."

Tobio narrows his eyes. Something about Oikawa's voice tells him that he _isn't_ impressed. " _You_ were the one who said that I would revert back to being a tyrannical king if I didn't try to give Hinata the toss he wants."

Imaizumi inhales sharply and looks at Oikawa. "You did _what_?!"

Oikawa chooses to ignore him. "Yeah, but there is a huge difference between _trying_ and _succeeding_."

"Wait, wait, wait," Hinata says, looking back and forth between Oikawa and Tobio. "How does the Great King know of our new quick attack?"

Tobio blinks. "I asked him if he thinks it's possible."

" _Why?_ "

"Because I thought it's impossible," Tobio responds impatiently. Seriously, isn't that obvious? Hinata's technique is horrible. If Tobio hadn't adjusted his toss, they never would have made it work.

"When did this happen?" Hinata demands to know.

Tobio narrows his eyes but decides to respond, anyway. "Right after our first Tokyo training camp."

"So, it was the Great King who came up with that new toss you spend so much time practicing?"

"No, that was Coach Ukai. Oikawa-san just said that it's embarrassing to give up so easily."

"Because it _is_ ," Oikawa says and folds his arms. "Seriously, Tobio-chan. The first version of that stupid quick attack is already supposed to be impossible. It's stupid to think that you can't make the impossible happen again."

Tobio grimaces. "Yeah, but...that's different. The first version of that quick attack was more like an accident. We didn't have to spend weeks practicing it."

Oikawa's face darkens, and Tobio instinctively takes a step back. "An _accident_?"

"Shut up, Oikawa," Iwaizumi says, rolling his eyes. "Your jealousy is exhausting."

"I'm not _jealous_."

"Right," Iwaizumi says, sounding not at all convinced. Tobio is confused. Why does Iwaizumi think that Oikawa is jealous of him? Isn't it obvious that Tobio isn't at Oikawa's level yet? Even Ushijima, who is among the top three hitters in the whole nation, thinks Oikawa is a better setter than Tobio.

"I was always wondering how you developed that unique quick attack," Akaashi says, curiously. "What did you mean by accident, Kageyama-kun?"

"Uh, well, Hinata's technique was horrible at the beginning of the school year," Tobio says bluntly and ignores Hinata's indignant huff. "I didn't want to toss to him, but Sawamura-san forced us to work together, saying that an egotistical setter drags down the whole team. He said that I wouldn't be allowed to play setter if I can't win with Hinata at my side. So I just gave Hinata the best toss I possibly could. And Hinata had his eyes closed for some stupid reason."

"I didn't have my eyes closed _for some stupid reason_ ," Hinata says and folds his arms. "You _told_ me I wouldn't have to look at the ball!"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean it _literally_. I meant it more in a general sort of way."

"What's that even supposed to mean?"

Tsukishima sighs exasperatedly. "Do you two have to fight about every little thing?"

Tobio says, "No," just as Hinata says, "Yes."

Tobio glares at him for a second. Then he demonstratively turns his back on him. "Are we gonna play now or what?"


	8. Chapter 8

Tobio leaves it up to the others to decide who will play against who. As long as he isn't on the same team as Oikawa, he's fine with pretty much anything. 

"Is it me, or are the teams a bit...unbalanced?" Akaashi asks once they split into two groups.

Tobio frowns and looks over at the other side of the net where Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo, and Bokuto are quietly talking with each other. What does Akaashi mean by _unbalanced_?

Tsukishima steps forward. "You mean because all the third years are on the same team? Yeah, I don't know what they were thinking with that either. We should change the teams once they wiped the floor with us."

Tobio narrows his eyes. "You're talking like we've already lost. It's embarrassing. You better get used to playing against opponents who are better than you. We will play against Shiratorizawa in the upcoming tournament, after all."

Tsukishima stands up straighter and looks down on him. Tobio grinds his teeth. It's annoying that Tsukishima is still taller than Tobio, even with the extra inches of Oikawa's body.

"The only embarrassing thing here is you talking about beating _Shiratorizawa_ when we have yet to beat Seijoh when Oikawa-san plays as their setter."

Tobio folds his arms. He's aware that the third years on the other side of the net have stopped talking and are looking at them, but he doesn't care. He can't stand mindsets like Tsukishima's. How are you supposed to accomplish anything if you hold yourself back mentally? He almost fell into that trap when he refused to look for a way to improve Hinata's quick attack. He won't do that again, and he won't allow his teammates to do that either.

"It doesn't matter how strong they are or that we didn't beat them last time. We have to win against _both_ Seijoh and Shiratorizawa if we want to make it to Nationals. Winning against one and losing against the other won't cut it."

Tsukishima scoffs. "Don't tell me things I already know, king. I'm just saying that your overconfidence is ridiculous. You can't honestly think that we can win against Oikawa-san when he has his team's ace, one of the top five hitters of the nation, and one of the best middle blockers I know on his side."

"Of course we can win," Tobio says stubbornly. "Why shouldn't we?"

"Yeah!" Hinata chimes in. "Why shouldn't we?"

Tsukishima looks at them incredulously for a moment. Then he rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Let's start playing already."

"No," Tobio says and takes a step towards Tsukishima. "If you don't change your attitude, we probably _will_ lose. And I'm not going to accept that."

Tsukishima narrows his eyes. "So you're gonna blame me if we lose? Sounds just like you."

Tobio clenches his fist. Tsukishima had been bearable today, for the most part. He didn't mock Tobio when he messed up on the court and didn't complain about Tobio's sets being worse than usual. Why did he have to choose _now_ , of all times, to get on Tobio's nerves?

"There is never a single player who is solely responsible for winning or losing a match. But some players contribute less than others. We will already have to deal with Hinata's crappy receives. If you flail around as well, winning will be even harder."

"Yeah!" Hinata says. "Wait. What? Kageyama, you jerk!"

"Are you gonna say that your receives are good?"

"No...?"

"Then where's the problem?"

"Fine!" Tsukishima snaps before Hinata can open his mouth to answer. "I'll take this match seriously if you two," He points towards Tobio and Hinata, "won't talk with each other any more than you need to for _at least_ an hour."

"Works for me," Tobio says evenly. He isn't one to talk about unnecessary things during practice, anyway.

Tobio turns to look at Fukurodani's setter. "How good are you at spiking, Akaashi-san?"

The boy grimaces. "Not very good. Bellow average, I guess."

"Akaashi!" Bokuto shrieks from the other side of the net. "Don't sell yourself short!"

"I'm not," Akaashi responds calmly.

"Okay," Tobio says and nods. "Then I think it's better if you play setter, Akaashi-san."

"And you're fine with that?" Akaashi asks, squinting his eyes a bit.

"It's better than the other way around. I can jump in if you get the first touch."

Akaashi looks at him for a long moment, as if he wants to make sure that Tobio is okay with that, then he nods. "Alright."


	9. Chapter 9

Bokuto gives Oikawa the ball and yells, "Show us that famous serve, Great King!"

"You know, I have a name, Bokuto-chan," Oikawa says and glances in Hinata's direction, who promptly blushes.

Kuroo snorts. "And you expect him to use it when you call him _Bokuto-chan_? Really?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Oikawa asks airly. "It's his name, isn't it?"

Kuroo rolls his eyes. "Go on and serve, _Great King_."

"Gladly, _Tetsu-chan_ ," Oikawa replies sweetly.

Tsukishima sighs and grimaces. He looks like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Tobio frowns. What's wrong with him? Should Tobio be concerned that it will impact his performance on the court?

"And they are supposed to be third years?" Tsukishima says so quietly that Tobio almost doesn't hear him.

Oh. Tsukishima is just tired of their opponents' childishness. That shouldn't make him play worse.

Tobio pushes the thought to the side when Oikawa finally gets ready to serve. He wants to see how fast Oikawa will adapt to Tobio's body. Will he get used to playing in somebody else's body sooner than Tobio? Will he even have as many problems with that as Tobio, to begin with?

Oikawa throws the ball into the air, takes three steps, jumps, and slams his hand against the ball. Tobio blinks when the ball flies against the net and falls down on Oikawa's side of the court. If Tobio's estimation is correct, the ball would have had to be at least five inches higher to make it over the net.

"Now, _that's_ what you call a home run," Iwaizumi snickers and picks up the ball.

"Shut up, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa snaps. "This isn't my fault! Tobio-chan is too small!"

"I'm only about two inches smaller than you, Oikawa-san," Tobio says. "Not five."

"I expected your first serve to be shit," Kuroo says smugly and grins. "But I didn't think it would be _that_ bad."

"What!" Oikawa shrieks indignantly. "What the hell did you tell them about me, Chibi-chan?!"

"Nothing!" Hinata hastily responds.

" _Really_. Somehow I find that very hard to believe."

"I didn't tell them that you're bad at serving!" Hinata squeaks. "I swear!"

Oikawa turns to look at Kuroo. "Why were you expecting a bad serve, then?"

Kuroo raises his eyebrows. "Why don't you ask your soulmate?"

Tobio stands up straighter when he suddenly finds himself confronted with Oikawa's intense glare. He looks pretty pissed off. _Great_. _Why did Kuroo have to drag me into this?_

"Well, Tobio-chan?"

"I don't know why Kuroo-san was expecting a crappy serve," Tobio says slowly. "But it was probably for the same reason that I didn't think your first serve would score a point."

Oikawa huffs. "And are you going to _tell_ me the reason, or are you just gonna hint at it?"

"You aren't used to my body, Oikawa-san," Tobio says bluntly. "Just as I'm not used to yours. Of course, the way you usually serve won't work."

"Oh," Oikawa says and blinks. He seems surprised by Tobio's answer, though Tobio has no idea what he expected to hear.

"Yeah, Kageyama's first serve was pretty bad as well," Hinata chimes in. "I've never seen him mess up as much as today. It was an interesting experience."

"Shut up, dumbass!"

"Huh?! Why are _you_ allowed to say that you're making mistakes and I'm not?!"

"Hey!" Tsukishima snaps. "No more talking than necessary, remember?"

Tobio huffs but holds his tongue. He had only instinctively reacted to Hinata's words, anyway.

Instead, he says, "Iwaizumi-san, can you please give me the ball?"

"Sure."

Iwaizumi throws the ball over the net. Tobio catches and walks to the end line. He knows that Oikawa is looking at him, but he doesn't let that affect him. He spins the ball in his hand, just as he usually does before serving, and then throws the ball in the air.

Kuroo receives Tobio's serve, and Oikawa surprisingly sets to Bokuto. Tobio was sure that the first set would go to Iwaizumi.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto yells after the ball hit the ground with a resounding _smack_. "Great set, Great King! A bit higher would be better, though."

Tobio half-expects Oikawa to complain about the nickname again, but when Tobio glances at him, he catches him looking at Tobio with narrowed eyes.

"Your serve was more powerful than usual."

Tobio blinks. "Well, yeah. You're stronger than me, Oikawa-san."

Oikawa cocks his head. "So you wouldn't be able to serve like that when you're in your own body?"

"No. You can't get muscles like that overnight."

Tobio glances at his right arm and flexes his muscles. He never realized just how muscular Oikawa is. His muscles are easier to overlook than Iwaizumi's, for example, but they are still undeniably _there_.

"Stop smirking like that, Oikawa," Iwaizumi says, sighing.

Kuroo snorts. "Yeah, you two can flirt all you want once we're done practicing."

"We aren't _flirting_!" Oikawa snaps.

"Yeah, whatever," Kuroo says evenly. "I'm not even gonna pretend that I can make sense of your relationship."

Tobio is confused. Why are they suddenly talking about _flirting_ , of all things? He doesn't think that anything Oikawa said to Tobio can be considered flirting. They were talking about volleyball, after all.

Either way, Tobio thinks it's best if he cuts the argument short.

Tobio picks up the ball. "I think it's Bokuto-san's turn to serve."

He throws the ball over the next towards Fukurodani's ace, who catches it effortlessly.

After that, there are fewer pauses between the rallies. Oikawa whines a couple of times about Tobio being too short and weak until Kuroo tells him that he sounds like a kicked puppy. That shuts Oikawa up, which Tobio is grateful for. It's hard to hear Oikawa whining in Tobio's body without telling him to stop. It's even harder to ignore that than it is to hear Oikawa using all those stupid nicknames.

Still, even though Oikawa complained at first, he makes fewer mistakes than Tobio expected. Significantly less than Tobio did during his first set in Oikawa's body. And the number of his mistakes decreases at an alarmingly fast pace.

Tobio doesn't know why it is easier for Oikawa to adapt to an unfamiliar body than it is for Tobio. It could have multiple reasons, and he doesn't have the time to think about them right now. All he knows is that he wants to be able to do that as well. He wants to be able to get used to different circumstances as fast as Oikawa.

With a mixture of envy and admiration, Tobio watches Oikawa's movements throughout the match, wondering whether Oikawa will always be one step ahead of him.


	10. Chapter 10

They lose the first set, though it was very close. Tobio thinks they might have won if they had a referee and line judges. They hadn't been sure whether the ball had been out of bounds a couple of times.

During the second set, it's much more apparent which team has the upper hand. Oikawa has already adapted pretty well to Tobio's body. That, combined with the fact that the third years all use jump serves while Tsukishima's and Hinata's serves are still pretty weak, proves to be too big of a disadvantage.

But at least they tried their hardest. Even Tsukishima didn't give up half-way through.

After those two sets, they change the teams. This time, Tobio ends up on the same side as Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Hinata.

Oikawa cocks his head when he meets Tobio's eyes. "Still willing to let someone else play setter, Tobio-chan?"

Tobio thinks about it for a second. Then he nods slowly. "Yes."

"What was that pause for?"

Tobio shrugs his shoulders. "I think the one of us who's worse at spiking should play setter. Usually, I'd say that you are better at spiking than me, but I'm not sure that's the case right now. Height and strength do make a significant difference."

Oikawa folds his arms. "I'm still better at spiking than you."

Tobio looks at Oikawa for a moment. "Maybe. But I doubt it. You aren't _that_ much better than me at spiking, to begin with, and right now, I have the advantage, being taller and stronger and all."

When Oikawa narrows his eyes, Hinata inhales sharply and takes a step away from them. Tobio frowns and glances at him. What is he afraid of? Oikawa isn't going to hurt anyone. The one time he tried to do that, it looked like he honestly regretted it. It won't happen again. Tobio is sure of that.

"It doesn't matter that you're taller and stronger than me right now," Oikawa says evenly. "I'm still better at spiking than you."

"You can't know that," Tobio responds stubbornly.

"No. But I will prove it to you."

Tobio frowns. "How?"

"It's not that hard, Tobio-chan," Oikawa says and rolls his eyes. "We're just gonna change positions every couple of points or so. I will set half of the time and you the other."

Tobio raises his eyebrows. Oikawa wants to share the position with him? That's surprising. Tobio didn't even think about suggesting that.

Iwaizumi snorts. "Aren't there easier ways to figure out who's got the bigger one?"

"The bigger what?" Tobio asks, confused.

"Please don't explain it to him," Hinata hastily chimes in. He looks slightly ill again for some reason.

"Yeah, Iwa-chan, just _shut up_!" Oikawa says and blushes slightly.

Tobio looks back and forth between Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Hinata and decides that it's probably better if he doesn't know what they are talking about.

"Okay," Tobio says. "I'm fine with switching positions every couple of points."

"Good," Oikawa says and locks eyes with him. His lips form into a genuine smile. Tobio almost recoils. He vaguely remembers seeing that smile in old childhood pictures of himself, but Tobio hasn't smiled like that since...

"Please don't smile like that," Tobio says quietly. "It's making me feel uncomfortable."

Oikawa stops smiling almost immediately, and he furrows his brow. "Why?"

"It just _does_."

Oikawa looks at him very closely for a couple of seconds. It seems like he's trying to figure out why Tobio reacted the way he did. Tobio doesn't care. It's highly unlikely that Oikawa will guess the reason.

Eventually, Oikawa gives up. "Fine, don't tell me."

"Thank you," Tobio says and picks up the ball.


	11. Chapter 11

As it turns out, neither Oikawa nor Tobio is significantly better at spiking, at least if you go by the number of points they are scoring. But that doesn't discourage Tobio. He's confident that he can get better at spiking if he practices more. And seeing Oikawa spiking in Tobio's body was pretty enlightening. He saw a couple of things he wants to try once the Switch is over.

They are in the middle of the third set when the two managers from Fukurodani tell them that they will have to hurry up if they don't want to miss dinner.

Tobio wipes the sweat from his brow and frowns. He'd prefer to keep playing but skipping dinner is not an option. Not just because he's starving but also because he doesn't want to neglect the needs of Oikawa's body - which reminds him that he needs to ask Oikawa something without anyone overhearing their conversation.

Tobio looks around. Everyone is so focused on getting food right now that they probably won't pay him much attention. Tobio takes a deep breath. Now or never.

He walks up to Oikawa and asks quietly, "Can I talk with you for a second?"

Oikawa glances at him briefly. "You're already talking with me."

"Yeah, but I mean...privately."

Oikawa narrows his eyes slightly and looks after the others who are leaving the gym to get dinner. Iwaizumi falters and looks behind himself when he notices that his best friend isn't following him. But Oikawa just waves his hand, nonverbally telling him to keep going. Iwaizumi glances at Tobio briefly and gives Oikawa a warning glance, then he turns around and follows the others.

"What do you want, Tobio-chan?" Oikawa says once they are alone. "Hurry up. I don't wanna miss dinner."

"Okay," Tobio says uncomfortably. He doesn't know how to ask what is on his mind. The question will probably make Oikawa angry if he hasn't thought about it yet. Tobio wonders whether there is a way to prevent that from happening. Well, people tolerate bad news better if they are in a good mood, right?

"I want to thank you for allowing me to bring your body here-"

"That's not why you wanted to talk with me," Oikawa interrupts him. "Hurry up, Tobio-chan. I'm starving."

"Fine!" Tobio says, irritated. "I'm gonna take a shower tonight!"

"Okay?" Oikawa says, obviously confused. "And?"

Tobio waits a couple of seconds, hoping that Oikawa will understand the problem without him having to say anything else. But Oikawa keeps looking at him with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"I will have to wash your body," Tobio reluctantly explains.

Finally, Oikawa seems to understand why Tobio brought the topic up. Tobio can see him blushing slightly, and he feels his own cheeks heating up as well.

Oikawa clears his throat. "Why do you need to bring up the obvious? Do you _want_ to make this even more awkward than it has to be?"

"No, I just...Are you fine with me...you know..."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Oikawa says hastily. "You don't have to repeat it! Look, you already went to the toilet today, right? Showering won't be that different. Just try not to think about it too deeply, and _please_ don't talk about it again."

"Alright," Tobio says uncomfortably and tries to change the subject. "We should go get dinner now."

They silently walk towards their destination. It almost feels peaceful. At least it did until Tobio hears Oikawa mutter something that sounds like, "Why does my soulmate have to be so _dense_?"

"Are we gonna talk about that?" Tobio asks before he can change his mind.

"About what?"

"About us being soulmates."

For some reason, Tobio's heart rate increases, and he rubs over his chest, frowning. Why is his heart doing that? They aren't walking very fast, and he isn't feeling any strong emotion like fear or excitement, which could cause that.

Tobio turns his head to look at Oikawa when he doesn't get an immediate response. Multiple emotions flicker over Oikawa's face, none of which Tobio recognizes. It's bizarre to think that he can't read his own expression, but he's not the one who's controlling his body right now, so that isn't quite as weird as it would be otherwise.

"Not now," Oikawa eventually says. "One awkward conversation is more than enough for a day."

Part of Tobio wants to protest. He wants to know what Oikawa expects of him and what they will do once the Switch is over. He just wants _clarity_. But he keeps his mouth shut. Something tells him that it isn't a good idea to push Oikawa right now.


	12. Chapter 12

After Tobio got through the most awkward shower he ever took, he goes back to the room where they laid out their futons earlier today. Tobio sighs. He hopes that he will switch back to his own body tomorrow. Showering in Oikawa's body isn't an experience he wants to repeat.

Tobio frowns when a thought enters his mind. What will they do if they are still in each other's bodies when the training camp comes to an end? Tobio will have to go to school the day after tomorrow. Will he have to go in Oikawa's body if the Switch isn't over by then? Or will he be allowed to stay at home for the duration of the Switch? Maybe Tobio should have listened when they discussed soulmates during biology class.

"What's with that face?" Hinta asks when Tobio sits down on his futon.

"Don't know what you mean," Tobio responds and rubs his forehead. He's starting to get a headache, which is concerning. The last thing he needs is to get sick.

"You look like you're thinking really hard about something," Hinata explains. "And, no offense, but we both know that isn't your specialty."

Tobio glares at Hinata, but there is no real heat behind it. "I'm just wondering how long this stupid Switch will last."

"The norm is twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

"I know that!" Tobio snaps. "I just hope it won't be any longer than that."

"Why?" Hinata asks and cocks his head. "You seem to get along pretty well with the Great King. Much better than I would have expected."

Tobio snorts. Yeah, right. They are arguing all the time. How can that be considered _getting along_?

"Oikawa-san isn't what annoys me about the Switch the most. It's being in his body and seeing him control my body. It's weird and exhausting."

"Yeah, I imagine it is. I mean, it's already pretty weird for me, and I only look at it from the outside." Hinata pauses to think for a moment and grimaces. "I really wish the Great King would stop calling me _Chibi-chan_ , for example. Please tell me you won't start calling me that once your Switch is over."

Tobio snorts. "Of course, I won't. I don't even understand why Oikawa-san feels the need to use all those stupid nicknames."

"Ha!" Hinata says triumphally. "So it annoys you as well!"

Tobio rolls his eyes. Of course, it does. Shouldn't that be obvious? Of all the nicknames Oikawa likes to use, _Tobio-chan_ must be the most annoying. But Oikawa's nicknames for Hinata and Iwaizumi aren't much better.

"Why don't you ask him to stop using those nicknames, at least for the duration of the Switch?"

Tobio snorts. "I already did that."

"Really? When?"

"When he called me, shortly after we switched bodies. I asked him to stop calling Iwaizumi-san...you-know-what. He refused and said that I shouldn't tell him what to do."

"Oh," Hinata says and blinks. "Sounds a bit...childish to me."

Tobio chooses not to respond to that. Yes, it does sound childish. So what? That's just part of his personality. Talking about Oikawa's apparent childishness doesn't sound very appealing to him, so Tobio decides to change the subject.

"Hinata," Tobio says slowly. "Earlier, you said that you convinced Oikawa-san to let me come to Tokyo. How did you do that?"

Hinata blinks sheepishly. "Oh, I just told him that you would never forgive him if he prevents you from playing volleyball. After that, he was a lot more cooperative."

For a couple of seconds, Tobio stares at Hinata, utterly flabbergasted.

" _What?!_ "


	13. Chapter 13

Hinata blinks. "I told him you would never forgive him if-"

"I know what you said!" Tobio interrupts him impatiently. "But _why_ did you say that?"

"Uh...because it's the truth? Right?"

Tobio grinds his teeth. Hinata has a point. Sure, he would have been upset if he found out that the only thing keeping him from going to Tokyo was Oikawa's disapproval. But still, he hadn't asked Hinata to interfere in his life.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me about that?"

"You didn't ask!" Hinata responds defensively. "Besides, why do you even care?"

Tobio pauses to think about that for a second. Why _does_ he care?

Well. Tobio had thought that Oikawa letting him come to Tokyo was a good sign. To find out that Oikawa only agreed to it because Hinata blackmailed him is...disheartening. Tobio doesn't like it.

"Next time, ask me before interfering in my life!"

"Interfering...?" Hinata asks, mouth hanging open. "Would you have preferred to stay in Miyagi?"

"No!"

"Then why are you so pissed? It all turned out alright, didn't it?"

"Oikawa-san already can't stand me as it is! I don't need you to add to that!"

For some reason, Hinata suddenly starts laughing. Tobio frowns and folds his arms. 

"What's so funny?" Tobio snaps. He always hated it when people laughed at him. It makes him feel dumb and incompetent.

"Sorry," Hinata says, wheezing. "I know you aren't good at reading people, but I didn't think you're _that_ bad at it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Great King likes you," Hinata says bluntly. "It's obvious. I'm not sure whether he has accepted that he likes you yet, though."

Tobio frowns. That can't be right. Oikawa doesn't like him. He never has. But then Tobio remembers that Iwaizumi said something similar earlier today. Something about Oikawa maybe having a crush on Tobio. Now, that is _incredibly_ unlikely. But it's also unlikely that Hinata and Iwaizumi are both _completely_ wrong about how Oikawa feels about him. They are both good at dealing with people in general, after all.

"What makes you so certain of that?" Tobio asks reluctantly, still not convinced.

"Come on, Kageyama. _Think_. I told him you would never forgive him if he prevents you from coming to Tokyo. Do you really think he would care about that if he doesn't like you?" When Tobio opens his mouth to protest, Hinata adds, "And have you seen that way he _looks_ at you? Seriously, it's beyond obvious."

"Whenever I looked at him today, he usually looked pissed at me and kind of..." Tobio pauses, not sure how to put it into words. "...envious or something."

"At least you aren't blind enough to miss _that_."

"Wait," Tobio says, confused. "Didn't you say Oikawa-san likes me?"

"You can like someone and envy them at the same time," Hinata explains, and Tobio grinds his teeth. Hinata's voice sounds patronizing. Like he's explaining something to a small child. It's annoying and totally uncalled-for. "And that's exactly why I'm not sure whether the Great King has admitted to himself that he like you, yet. He primarily sees you as a rival."

Tobio frowns. "Of course, he sees me as a rival. We _are_ rivals. But I don't get why he's envious of me. I mean, he was better at adapting to an unfamiliar body than I was, and I wasn't even able to beat him at spiking, even though-"

"You don't get it, do you?" Hinata interrupts him impatiently. "Did you notice _when_ the Great King looked at you enviously? Wait, don't say anything. I already know the answer. Of course, you didn't. It was right after we used our new quick attack for the first time. Oh, and also when it became clear that you two are equally good at spiking right now. The Great King seemed pretty pissed that he wasn't able to beat you at that."

Tobio needs a moment to process that. So _that_ is why Oikawa looked at him like that? That's...

"That's a stupid reason to be envious," Tobio says bluntly.

And he means it. It _is_ stupid. Yes, their quick attack is impressive, and Tobio is glad that he didn't give up, that he found a way to make it work. It will be useful during the upcoming tournament. But it's not the be-all and end-all. There are ways to counteract it, to ensure that Hinata's quick attack won't score as many points, be it directly or indirectly. And Tobio knows that Oikawa must have already come up with a few ways to do that. He's good at stuff like that, after all.

"Maybe," Hinata says slowly. "But I, for one, can understand the Great King."

"Well, then you're an idiot," Tobio says and stands up.

"Where are you going?" Hinata asks when Tobio is already halfway through the room.

Tobio doesn't answer.


	14. Chapter 14

It takes Tobio some time until he finds the right place. He doesn't know where Oikawa and Iwaizumi will sleep and doesn't feel like asking anyone. Eventually, Tobio checks the room next to the one in which the coaches and Tanaka's sister will sleep in and finds Iwaizumi sitting on one of two futons. Apart from him, the room is deserted. When he steps into the room, Iwaizumi looks up from his phone.

"Oh, hi, Kageyama. Oikawa is still showering."

Tobio can't help but blush slightly. _I really don't want to think about that right now._

"Actually, I wanted to talk with _you_ , not Oikawa-san," Tobio hastily says, hoping that Iwaizumi won't notice his discomfort.

Iwaizumi blinks once, his eyes sweeping over Tobio's face. Then he nods slowly.

"Alright. Why don't you sit down?" Iwaizumi says and pats the futon across from him. If Tobio isn't completely mistaken, that futon must be Oikawa's.

Tobio hesitates for a slip second. He doesn't want to invade Oikawa's personal space any more than he has to. But sitting on Oikawa's futon is nothing compared to being in Oikawa's body, so he shrugs and sits down across from Iwaizumi.

"Oikawa-san envies me, doesn't he?" Tobio says, immediately getting to the point.

Iwaizumi scratches his neck. "Well...yeah. I mean, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Why does everyone think that's obvious? Tobio didn't see it until today. Surely, he would have noticed it earlier if it's that apparent, right?

"Is that why Oikawa-san refused to help me with my serve in Junior High? Because he was jealous of me?"

Tobio knows the question is a bit far fetched. Hinata said Oikawa is jealous of their quick attack and because he wasn't able to beat Tobio at spiking. Tobio couldn't do either of those two things in Junior High.

But earlier today, Iwaizumi said Oikawa didn't like having a genius on his team. Tobio doesn't see himself as a genius. Hell, he doesn't even know when you consider someone a genius. But from what he can tell, that might mean that Oikawa had already been jealous of him in Junior High for some strange reason.

"Uh, I think you should talk with Oikawa about that instead of me."

Tobio grimaces. "I don't think Oikawa will answer my questions."

"Maybe you're right," Iwaizumi says, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, we both know how difficult Oikawa can be whenever you're involved. But that's a risk you'll have to take."

Tobio feels like protesting, but he knows that would be rude. There is no reason why Iwaizumi should have to answer his questions.

Still, Tobio can't help but be frustrated. He feels like he missed something in the last three years, something crucial that would let him understand this strange tension Tobio feels every time he interacts with Oikawa. Unfortunately, it looks like Iwaizumi won't help him with that.

Some of what Tobio thinks and feels must have shown on his face. At least, Tobio thinks so since Iwaizumi sighs and says, "Look, Kageyama, I like you, but I'm not gonna tell you about stuff Oikawa wouldn't want me to share. I know that it doesn't seem that way since Oikawa is usually pretty outgoing, but he only reluctantly shares personal stuff about himself. I don't want to betray his trust. I'd never hear the end of it."

"I..." Tobio swallows. "Okay, I can understand that. I'll ask Oikawa-san myself."

Iwaizumi looks at him with a strange look in his eyes. "May I ask you why you even asked that question? Junior High was a long time ago. Why does that still matter to you?"

Tobio thinks about that for a while. It's hard for him to explain why he suddenly feels the need to know what went through Oikawa's head at the time. Tobio doesn't think it has anything to do with the fact that Oikawa is his soulmate. He would have wanted an answer to that question even if he had found out about Oikawa's jealousy under different circumstances.

"I've always looked up to Oikawa-san," Tobio slowly explains. "He was the first volleyball player I met close to my age that was _really good_. I was excited to play on the same team as him and learn from him. It was...frustrating that he wouldn't help me with my serve. Sometimes I wonder where I would be now if Oikawa had helped me. Not just with my serve, but with volleyball skills in general." Tobio pauses to think for a second. "Maybe I wouldn't even have had that...falling-out with my teammates if Oikawa had taught me the importance of working _with_ your teammates."

Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows, looking a bit skeptical. "You think that might not have happened if Oikawa hadn't been such an idiot?"

"I don't know," Tobio says, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe. I mean, it's possible, right? I'm not trying to make Oikawa responsible for my own mistakes if that's what you think. It's just...there are so many things Oikawa could have taught me but _didn't_. And I wonder why...But I'm not _blaming_ Oikawa-san. That would be stupid."

"You're not blaming me for what?" a very familiar voice says.

Tobio looks to the side. Somehow, Oikawa had entered the room without Tobio noticing.

"I'm not blaming you for what happened at my last Junior High match."

Tobio frowns. Saying it like that sounds kind of stupid. Oikawa seems to think so as well. He looks at Tobio, utterly dumbfounded.

"What," he says flatly.


	15. Chapter 15

"Why would you even _think_ about blaming me for that?" Oikawa asks. Tobio can tell that he's starting to get angry. "You did that to yourself."

"I know!" Tobio snaps. "You think I don't know that?"

"Well, I don't know," Oikawa says sarcastically. "I mean, you _are_ a bit slow."

"Oikawa!" Iwaizumi says sharply.

"Don't tell me you're on his side, Iwa-chan."

"I'm on nobody's side," Iwaizumi says evenly. "But I still think you're an idiot. How about you let Kageyama explain what he meant before getting angry?"

"I don't have to! Tobio-chan obviously doesn't take credit for his own mistakes!"

"Actually, I do," Tobio quietly says, and to his surprise, Oikawa and Iwaizumi both shut up and turn to look at him. "I'm not blaming anyone else but myself."

For a couple of moments, no one says anything. Then Oikawa frowns. Somehow, that has a relaxing impact on Tobio. He's used to his face looking like that in the mirror. It's familiar, and right now, Tobio needs that.

"But why did you even say that you're not blaming me?" Oikawa asks and folds his arms. He's still standing there, and it doesn't look like he'll sit down anytime soon.

Tobio shrugs his shoulders. "I was just thinking out loud. I was wondering if the falling out with my teammates was inevitable. Maybe that wouldn't have happened if someone had taught me how to be part of a team."

"And you think that person should have been _me_? Or at least could have been?" Oikawa says, raising his eyebrows. "I wasn't even on your team when you started developing tyrannical tendencies. Literally any of your teammates could have told you at any time that you're behavior is unacceptable. Your captain should have, at the very least."

"He did, a couple of times," Tobio admits. "But I didn't listen to him."

Oikawa snorts and throws his arms in the air. He looks exasperated. "Then why should you have listened to _me_?"

Tobio opens his mouth to respond, but Iwaizumi is faster. "Come on, Oikawa, don't be stupid. You know why."

"No, I don't," Oikawa snaps stubbornly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Iwaizumi groans and throws back his head. "And people think Kageyama is the dense one," he mutters so quietly that Tobio thinks he wasn't meant to hear it.

Tobio frowns. He thinks Iwaizumi is exaggerating a bit. It's not that strange for Oikawa to ask that question. After all, Tobio never flat out told Oikawa how highly he thinks of him. Maybe he should do that now.

"I've always valued your opinion, Oikawa-san. Why do you think I even asked you what you think about Hinata spiking with his eyes open? I knew you'd probably not answer me, but I couldn't help but ask anyway. I even let you take that stupid photo of me."

"What photo?" Iwaizumi says, narrowing his eyes.

"It's nothing," Oikawa hastily responds. Tobio takes a close look at Oikawa. Is he imagining it, or does he look a bit embarrassed? Maybe he regrets taking that photo? "It was blurred, anyway, so I deleted it."

Well, that's a relief. Tobio didn't like the thought of Oikawa showing that photo around.

"Anyway," Tobio says, awkwardly trying to steer the conversation back towards volleyball. "I'm not sure it would have made a difference even if someone had tried to teach me how to be part of a team. I'm not good at reading people. I didn't realize my teammates hated playing with me until..."

Tobio breaks off and frowns down at his hands. Or rather Oikawa's hands. It's strange to think that he controls the body that brought the best out of Kindaichi and Kunimi. It still terrifies him to know that both of them played better during the last tournament than they ever did when Tobio was their setter. Tobio had three whole years to learn what kind of tosses they liked, and he had failed to do that in the most spectacular way possible.

"I think _hating_ is too strong a word," Iwaizumi interrupts his thoughts.

Tobio snorts. He can't help it, even though he knows how rude that is. "They gave up their chance to go to Nationals just because they didn't want to keep playing with me for another second. I think _hating_ fits just fine."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Tobio sees Oikawa sitting down next to Iwaizumi. _Finally_. Tobio had been wondering how long he wanted to keep standing there, looking down on them. When Tobio raises his head, he notices that Oikawa has a strange expression on his face, one Tobio can't interpret.

"You know, I think you could have used someone like Iwa-chan much more than someone like me in Junior High."

"What?" Tobio says, frowning. "I don't...What do you mean?"

Surprisingly, Oikawa neither rolls his eyes nor sighs exasperatedly. Instead, he smiles slightly. It's not the pure, genuine smile from earlier, so it doesn't make Tobio too uncomfortable, but he still can't help but stare. Oikawa looks conflicted, like he is thinking back on something that is a happy and painful memory at the same time.

"I had my own selfish phase in Junior High," Oikawa says, to Tobio's utter disbelieve. _What? What is he talking about?_ "Mine wasn't as significant as yours, though, and I got over it much faster and easier. But I didn't overcome the selfishness on my own. Iwa-chan got through to me by yelling at me and headbutting me, giving me a bloody nose in the process."

Something steers in Tobio's memories. He remembers how Oikawa came to practice with a swollen nose once, telling everyone who asked that he got into a little argument with Iwaizumi. And Tobio knows what happened the day before...

"Wait," Tobio says slowly. "That was right after you tried to hit me that one time...right?"

To Tobio's surprise, Oikawa flinches. Now he _definitely_ looks embarrassed and maybe even slightly guilty.

"Since when are you so perceptive?"

"You had a bloody nose the day after," Tobio says, shrugging his shoulders. "It was just a guess."

Oikawa huffs and refuses to meet Tobio's eyes. Feeling a little lost, Tobio looks at Iwaizumi for guidance, hoping that he will tell him what Tobio did to offend Oikawa this time. But Iwaizumi isn't looking at him. His eyes are locked on Oikawa.

"Just apologize already, idiot."

Oikawa's head snaps up, and he glares at Iwaizumi defensively. "You aren't my mum, Iwa-chan. Don't tell me what to do."

What? Of course, Iwaizumi isn't Oikawa's mum. They are the same age, and Iwaizumi doesn't even have the right gender. And why does Iwaizumi think Oikawa needs to apologize? What for?

"You know you want to," Iwaizumi says, utterly ignoring Oikawa's comment. "Just get it over with."

For a long moment, it looks like Oikawa will refuse to respond in any way. But then he glances at Tobio, and some of the tension leaves his face.

"Fine," Oikawa grumbles, not looking Tobio in the eye. "I'm sorry I tried to hit you. It was stupid and uncalled-for. But, in my defense, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind at the time."

"You already apologized to me three years ago," Tobio responds, confused. "I'd rather get an explanation than an apology. What did you mean you weren't in the right frame of mind? I don't get it."

Oikawa's eyes blaze, and Tobio already regrets asking when suddenly something in Oikawa's face shifts. "Alright, I guess I owe you that much. But not today. I told you, one awkward conversation is more than enough for a day. We can talk about it tomorrow if you still want to know the answer by then."

_I will. I definitely will._

"Are you gonna tell me why you refused to help me with my serve, too?"

Oikawa hesitates for a slip second. Then he says, "Sure, I might as well put all cards on the table. Now get lost. I'm tired, Tobio-chan."

"Okay," Tobio says and stands up. He wishes his former teammates a good night and then turns to leave. He's already at the door when he hears Oikawa calling after him.

"Tobio-chan, make sure to come back here tomorrow before breakfast."

Tobio turns around, frowning. "Why?"

"I can't let you walk around with hair like that all day. It looks horrible. I'm assuming you haven't looked in the mirror?"

"Not really, I've been trying to avoid that," Tobio says and turns around again. "See you tomorrow, Oikawa-san."


	16. Chapter 16

When Tobio slips back into the room, no one pays him any attention, and he is glad about that. Oikawa gave him a lot to think about, and he needs some peace and quiet to clear his thoughts.

Tobio sits down on his futon and starts going through his things, looking for his phone. He needs to check something. When he can't find it anywhere, he realizes that Oikawa must still have it. Tobio gave Iwaizumi Oikawa's phone on the drive to Tokyo, but he forgot to ask back for his own.

"Hinata, can I borrow your phone?"

"Huh? Uh...sure?" Hinata pulls out his phone, unlocks it, and hands it over.

"Thanks," Tobio mutters. The interface of Hinata's phone is different from his own, but eventually, he finally manages to open up the front camera. He frowns down at his reflection and tries to see what Oikawa saw. But no matter from which direction he looks at it, he can't see anything wrong with his reflection.

"Uh, Kageyama, what are you doing?" Hinata asks, bewildered.

"What do you mean?" Tobio responds, distracted.

Okay, maybe his hair looks a lot messier than usual, but that's a far cry from _horrible_. Maybe Oikawa was exaggerating? Yeah, that must be it. Oikawa can't honestly think it's _that_ bad. His hair still looks soft and fluffy, and at the places where it touches Tobio's face, it feels that way as well. It just has a less organized and wild look to it. It looks a bit like Hinata's hair, actually.

"Why are you looking at your face like that? Are you...are you checking if the Great King left any hickeys behind?"

"What?" Tobio asks, blinking. "Hickeys? What are you talking about?"

Hinata looks awkwardly to the side. "Are you, you know, worried that the Great King left any physical evidence behind that the two of you made out?"

"What?!" Tobio yells, mouth hanging open. He can feels his face heating up. God, how can Hinata even _think_ about asking such an embarrassing question? "You think Oikawa-san and I...Why should I want to kiss my own face?!"

"I don't know!" Hinata responds, blushing as well. "I mean, it was pretty obvious you went to see the Great King, and you had that _look_ on your face when you came in."

"What _look_?"

"Well, you looked satisfied but also thoughtful, and a bit confused."

"And you think that I looked that way because I _kissed_ Oikawa-san?!"

"Yeah, kinda! It was the kind of look I'd expect you to wear after your first kiss!"

Tobio stares at Hinata for a long moment, wondering if he has finally lost his mind. But Tobio knows better than that. This isn't the first time Hinata said something utterly ludicrous. Tobio shakes his head. He has trouble imagining anything more bizarre than kissing your soulmate during the Switch. It would be a bit like kissing yourself, and Tobio refuses to believe that there are people who want to do that.

"Listen," Tobio says calmly. Hinata's eyes widen, and he leans back a bit. Tobio's expression must look pretty scary for Hinata to do that, but Tobio doesn't care. "Don't talk about that again. The mental image is too disturbing. Hell, I don't even know if I want to kiss Oikawa-san after the Switch is over."

"Uh, okay, fine, I won't-" Hinata breaks off in the middle of his sentence and frowns. "Wait, what? You don't know if you want to kiss the Great King when the Switch is over? But you're soulmates!"

Tobio rolls his eyes. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we have to date each other. I don't even know if I want to. Oikawa-san can be...difficult. And it's not my decision alone. Oikawa-san might not want to see me any more than he needs to once the Switch is over."

"Don't worry, Kageyama-kun! I told you, the Great King likes you!"

"I'm not worried!" Tobio snaps. "I just said that I don't even know if I want to date him!"

Hinata looks at him disbelievingly for a moment. Then he shakes his head, laughing. Tobio glares and folds his arms.

When Hinata finally stops laughing, Tobio growls, "Are you done?"

"Almost," Hinata responds, still grinning. "Why did you look at your reflection like that?"

Tobio shrugs his shoulders. "Oikawa-san said my hair looks horrible. I was checking if he's right or just exaggerating."

"Wait, seriously?" Hinata asks, snickering. "I didn't know that the Great King is that petty. There's nothing wrong with your hair."

Tobio rolls his eyes. "You only say that because your hair looks pretty much the same."

"No, I don't!" Hinata snaps defensively. "And even if I were, there's still nothing wrong with your hair. Or mine, for that matter."

"Whatever, I don't care. Here, I don't need this anymore," Tobio says and gives Hinata his phone back.

"You can't fool me, Kageyama! You wouldn't have checked your reflection if you didn't care at least a little bit!"

"Shut up, dumbass!"

Somewhere to his right, Tobio hears a sigh. "Do you have to yell all the time?" Tsukushima asks, clearly annoyed. "And didn't you hear what Sugawara-san said? We'll turn the lights off in fifteen minutes. You should get ready for bed."

Tobio glances at Hinata and immediately knows that he didn't hear Sugawara, either.

Tsukishima rolls his eyes. "You're totally hopeless."

"Hey!" Hinata protests. "We had to talk about Kageyama's hair!"

"His hair," Tsukishima says flatly, his gaze coming to rest somewhere above Tobio's forehead. "You know what, I'm not even gonna ask."

"No one asked you to!" Tobio snaps back. It's bad enough that he had to talk with Hinata about kissing Oikawa. Knowing Tsukishima's opinion on his hairstyle is almost equally unwanted.

Fortunately, Tsukishima doesn't respond and turns his back on him, and even Hinata seems to realize that it's more important to get ready for bed than to continue their conversation.

Fifteen minutes later, Tobio lays on his futon and thinks about the conversation he had with Oikawa and Iwaizumi, wondering if he will get the chance to ask some follow-up questions tomorrow.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have been following this fic for a while, I recommend rereading chapter 2. I think this chapter is more enjoyable that way.

"What the hell?" Tobio says and freezes, staring at Oikawa's head. Of all the things he saw since he switched bodies with Oikawa, this must be the weirdest. For some reason, Oikawa decided to style his hair - _Tobio's_ hair, strictly speaking - the way he usually does. 

"I told you he wouldn't like it," Iwaizumi mutters, exasperated.

Oikawa huffs. "Tobio-chan, stop looking like I just shaved all your hair off. I didn't do anything irreversible."

"I..." Tobio says, looking for the right words. "I just... _why_?"

"Your hair always looks so plain and _boring_. I just wanted to spice it up a bit. It doesn't suit you as well as it suits me, though."

"Yeah, go figure!" Tobio blurts out, his gaze still fixed on Oikawa's hair. Slowly, Tobio shakes his head. "You know what, I don't care. You can walk around like that if you want to, but don't be surprised if people stare and laugh at you."

"It doesn't look _that_ bad," Oikawa protests.

Iwaizumi snorts. "Yes, it really does look a bit ridiculous. No offense, Kageyama."

"None taken."

Oikawa looks back and forth between Tobio and Iwaizumi. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he says, "Stop conspiring against me. I'm not gonna change my hairstyle just because we switched bodies, Tobio-chan."

Tobio frowns. "I just told you I don't care if you walk around like that. I only wanted to warn you that it looks ridiculous."

"Whatever. You have no sense of fashion, Tobio-chan, so if you think it looks ridiculous, it probably looks pretty good. Now get over here. I need to make your hair as well."

Tobio suppresses a sigh and steps forward. That's what he come here for, after all, and it's better to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Sit down across from me," Oikawa instructs and pets the futon he's sitting on. Tobio does so, taking care not to brush his knees against Oikawa's. He feels uncomfortable being this close to Oikawa, but there's really no way around that. Oikawa has to be able to reach Tobio's hair with his hands, after all.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Iwaizumi shaking his head slightly. "I still can't believe that you not only want to style your own hair but Kageyama's as well. You really are the embodiment of entitlement, Trashykawa."

"Shut up, Iwa-chan," Oikawa says, but it almost sounds like an automatic response. "Now, let me see..."

Oikawa starts pulling out all kinds of stuff, and Tobio tries not to look too surprised. He vaguely remembers that Iwaizumi had packed some things for Oikawa before Tanaka's sister arrived at Oikawa's house, but he hadn't paid any attention to what those things were. These hair products must have been among them.

"Uh, just how long is this going to take?" Tobio asks hesitantly.

"Don't know," Oikawa responds. "It might take a while. By the time breakfast starts, I should be done, though."

"That's in half an hour!"

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Oikawa says, raising his eyebrows. "Got something better to do?"

Tobio frowns. Is he serious? Does Oikawa really intend to need up to thirty minutes to make Tobio's hair? He glances at Iwaizumi for guidance, who rolls his eyes.

"You know, you should just tell Oikawa when he's being unreasonable. If you don't tell him when he's crossing a line, he's just going to do it over and over again."

"Uh, Iwa-chan, you know I can hear you, right?"

"I'm counting on that, idiot."

"Hey!"

Tobio clears his throat, and both Oikawa and Iwaizumi turn to look at him. "If you want to waste that much of my time, I want you to answer some of my questions in exchange, Oikawa-san."

Iwaizumi snickers and shakes his head. "Looks like you don't need my help, after all."

Oikawa huffs, irritated. "I'm not wasting your time. I'm showing you how to style your hair. You've got a lot to learn in that department."

"I don't see why I need to learn that. My hair obviously looks better if I just leave it alone. I mean, that really couldn't be more obvious," Tobio says and gestures towards Oikawa's head.

Oikawa sighs dramatically. "You're totally hopeless. Fine. I'll answer some of your questions. Now hold still."

Tobio has to force himself not to flinch back when Oikawa pushes his fingers into Tobio's hair. It's not a bad feeling, but it's still weird to be this close to Oikawa and having him look at Tobio - or rather his hair - this intently.

"O-Okay," Tobio stutters, which earns him a smirk from Oikawa. Grinding his teeth, Tobio takes a moment to think about which question he wants to ask first. Well. It's probably best if he starts with one Oikawa already promised to answer.

"So why did you try to hit me in Junior High?" Oikawa pulls a bit harder on his hair, and Tobio flinches. "Be careful!"

"Sorry," Oikawa mutters and loosens his grip. "Next time, warn me when you're about to ask something like that."

"Fine," Tobio grumbles. He waits a couple of seconds, but when Oikawa doesn't say anything and instead only focuses on Tobio's hair, he frowns. "Well? You promised you'd answer that question today."

"I know!" Oikawa snaps. "Be quiet! I'm trying to think."

"Okay," Tobio says, blinking. He waits and waits, but Oikawa continues to keep his mouth shut, all of his attention fixed on Tobio's hair.

Eventually, Iwaizumi sighs and says, "You do you want me to answer that question for you?"

"No. I'm not a coward, Iwa-chan."

Tobio frowns. Of course, Oikawa isn't a coward. He has never run away from a challenge before, at least not to Tobio's knowledge. But Tobio holds his tongue. It looks like Oikawa is about to answer his question, and he doesn't want to distract him.

Oikawa takes a deep breath. "You remember the practice match we had that day, right? The one where you got to play because I messed up so much?"

"Yes?" Tobio says, wondering where this will go.

"Well, I saw that as a sign that you would surpass me soon. I had been playing worse than usual for a couple of weeks because I was so obsessed with beating Ushiwaka-chan, and the fact that I had a genius on my team, a _first-year_ , nonetheless, stressed me out even more. So I lashed out. I already told you that I'm not proud of that, and Iwa-chan knocked some sense into me right after, so there's no chance of that ever happening again."

Tobio blinks a couple of times. Now it's his turn to struggle for words. He never would have thought that was the reason why Oikawa tried to hit him. It doesn't make any _sense_.

"Iwaizumi-san said something like that, too," Tobio blurts out without thinking. "That you saw me as some kind of genius and that you were afraid I'd surpass you one day."

"Iwa-chan did _what_?!" Oikawa shrieks and pulls his hands out of Tobio's hair so that he can turn around and glare at Iwaizumi.

"Don't look at me like that!" Iwaizumi says defensively. "It just slipped out!"

"You shouldn't have told him about that," Oikawa says and folds his arms.

Iwaizumi sighs, and for once, it doesn't sound exasperated or annoyed. "I'm sorry, Oikawa. I...Look, I didn't just blurt it out for no reason at all, okay? I can tell you why it slipped out later when we're alone."

"Why wait?" Oikawa snaps, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You already told Tobio-chan stuff you know I don't share lightly."

"Stop being so difficult, Oikawa. If you stop to think for a second, you'll understand why I want to wait until we're alone."

For a couple of seconds, Oikawa glares at Iwaizumi. Then his expression softens somewhat.

"Fine," Oikawa snaps. "Later, then."

Tobio bites his lips. Oikawa and Iwaizumi argue all the time, but this feels a bit different. Less lighthearted and more like Oikawa is honestly upset with Iwaizumi.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble, Iwaizumi-san."

"Don't apologize, Tobio-chan! Iwa-chan is responsible for his own actions."

Iwaizumi snorts. "Responsible for my...Don't make it sound like I committed some kind of crime. I just told Kageyama something he would have figured out on his own years ago if he had better social skills. It's not _that_ big of a deal. Yes, he should have heard it from you first, but in my opinion, you should have already explained it to him three years ago."

Iwaizumi stands up and straightens his clothes. "Anyway, I think it's better if I leave you alone. It's better if you work this out on your own."

Tobio frowns. _Work_ what _out on our own? And why is Oikawa glaring at Iwaizumi like that? I didn't just unintentionally destroy their friendship...right?_

With an uneasy feeling, Tobio watches as Iwaizumi steps through the door, leaving the two of them alone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a beta now, the wonderful [Brilan_Mosyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brilan_Mosyn/pseuds/Brilan_Mosyn)! Thanks again, Bri! :)

After Iwaizumi leaves, Oikawa glares at the door for a while. His expression slowly transforms into one of thoughtfulness, and he starts biting his lips.

_Tobio’s_ lips.

Tobio frowns but doesn’t say anything about it. As long as Oikawa doesn’t break the skin, it’s alright.

Eventually, Tobio starts to get impatient, though. "If you really need thirty minutes to make my hair, you shouldn't keep staring into thin air."

"One could almost think you _want_ me to make your hair," Oikawa says, smirking slightly.

"No. I just don't want you to throw a temper tantrum when I go get breakfast before you're finished."

"I never throw temper tantrums," Oikawa protests, but he doesn't sound nearly as offended as Tobio would have expected. He's obviously still thinking about his argument with Iwaizumi.

"Do you often fight with Iwaizumi-san?" Tobio asks hesitantly. He knows it's not really his business, but it also feels wrong to ignore what just happened.

Oikawa rolls his eyes. "That wasn't a fight. Just a disagreement. But I'm not surprised you don't know the difference."

Tobio feels some of the tension leave his body. So his thoughtlessness won’t have any long-lasting consequences. That’s a relief.

Oikawa picks up the hair gel, and Tobio suppresses a shiver when Oikawa's hands slide back into his hair. It feels oddly pleasant to feel Oikawa's fingertips gently rearranging his hair, occasionally brushing over his scalp. He'd never say that out loud, though.

"Oikawa-san, why did you think I'd surpass you?" Tobio asks, trying to distract himself from the fingers in his hair.

"Because you're a _genius_."

Tobio blinks. Oikawa spat the last word out like it's something bad, something that should be scorned upon.

"Okay," Tobio says slowly. "And what exactly makes me a genius?"

Oikawa freezes and looks Tobio straight in the eye. Immediately, Tobio squares his shoulders. He knows that look, though he usually only sees Oikawa looking at him like that when there is a net between them. Oikawa is analyzing him, but Tobio has no idea what he's trying to figure out. There is no grand plan or strategy behind Tobio's question.

Eventually, Oikawa pulls his hands out of Tobio's hair. "Are you trying to say that you don't think you're a genius?"

"Yeah, kinda," Tobio responds. "I don't even know when you consider someone a genius. I mean, if it's just someone who is the best at something, I can’t be a genius since you're still better than me-"

"That's not what it means to be a genius," Oikawa interrupts him. "Geniuses are different from almost everyone else. They have abilities normal people will never have, and they are incredibly fast learners."

"But...then I don’t get why you think I’m a genius. I can't do anything others wouldn't be able to do if they practiced enough."

" _Really_. What about your quick attack with Chibi-chan? I don't think anyone who doesn't have some kind of...predisposition or something can learn how to do that."

Tobio needs a moment to take that in. He didn’t know that Oikawa thinks their quick attack is _that_ unique. Yes, yesterday, Oikawa said that the first version of their quick attack was supposed to be impossible or something like that, but Tobio thought he was just exaggerating.

"You think you can't learn how to do the freak quick," Tobio realizes, dazed. "Hinata was right, then. You really _are_ jealous of me."

"I'm not _jealous_ ," Oikawa protests. "I'm just stating facts."

Tobio stares at Oikawa for a long moment. It’s hard to wrap his mind around the fact that Oikawa thinks he can’t learn how to do anything he wants.

"I think everyone who puts the work in can learn how to toss to Hinata the way I do."

Oikawa snorts. "Of course, you think that. You have no idea what it's like for us normal people."

Tobio narrows his eyes. Something about the way Oikawa refers to himself as a _normal person_ rubs Tobio the wrong way.

Tobio shakes his head. He can’t leave that uncommented.

"You're hardly normal, Oikawa-san. You are the most extraordinary high school volleyball player I know. The way you brought the best out of Kindaichi and Kunimi during the last tournament scared the shit out of me. You managed to do something I hadn't been able to accomplish in _three whole years_.

"My sets are only as precise as they are because that was almost the only thing I practiced throughout elementary school and Junior High when it came to setting: precision. I only cared about making my sets exactly how I wanted them, and I ignored everything else. Because of that, I suck at other things, things you excel at. If you had spent as much time as I did on learning to control the ball, I'm sure you'd be able to toss to Hinata the way I do." After a short pause, Tobio adds, "After all, I was able to make the quick attack with Hinata work while being in your body, so it's not your body that is the problem."

Multiple emotions flicker over Oikawa's face, only a couple of which Tobio recognizes. Confusion and disbelief are among the strongest. Patiently, Tobio waits for Oikawa to respond. While he doesn't understand what about his words was so strange that Oikawa needs to think about them so much, he also appreciates that Oikawa doesn't just immediately dismiss his arguments the way he so often does.

Eventually, Oikawa says, "I still think you're a genius. Volleyball comes incredibly easy to you. It's not normal."

"There are a lot of things about volleyball that don't come easily to me!" Tobio protests. "Like communicating with my teammates and getting 100 percent out of every hitter. You're a lot better at both of those things than me, Oikawa-san.

"I watched you yesterday during our practice matches. You can give people you just met the sets they want almost effortlessly. That's something I envy you for a lot. And you also adapted to playing in my body incredibly fast. I had a lot more problems with that than you, at first. We have different strengths, but I don't think that makes either of us a genius."

Oikawa huffs and averts his eyes. It's hard to tell what he's thinking, but at least he doesn't look like he thinks everything Tobio said was bullshit. Tobio sees that as a good sign. Hopefully, Oikawa will realize how illogical it is to be jealous of Tobio. He doesn't want Oikawa to think that there is something fundamentally different about them that gives Tobio an unfair advantage. That’s simply _not true,_ and he can’t stand the thought of Oikawa thinking of himself as anything less than brilliant.

Tobio waits for Oikawa to say anything, but after a while, it becomes clear that Oikawa doesn’t intend to respond in any way. He looks completely lost in thought.

Part of Tobio wants to ask why Oikawa refused to help him with his serve next. But he thinks he already knows the answer. It was probably for the same reason why Oikawa tried to hit him. It makes sense that Oikawa didn't want to help Tobio with anything if he was afraid that Tobio would surpass him one day.

So instead, Tobio looks at the clock hanging on the wall and says, "breakfast starts in ten minutes. If you still insist on making my hair, you should hurry up now."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes a very minor **manga spoiler**. It's almost not worth mentioning but I still want to warn you.

Oikawa gets his fair share of stares when they enter the room. Tobio can even hear some suppressed snickering.

Tobio rolls his eyes and sits down across from Hinata and Iwaizumi. “I told you it looks ridiculous.”

Oikawa huffs. “Stop laughing, Chibi-chan.”

“Sorry,” Hinata replies, still snickering. “Iwaizumi-san told me what you were doing, but it looks even funnier than I thought it would. I’m not surprised the Great King won’t let you walk around with _horrible hair_ forever, Kageyama.”

Oikawa snorts. “At least you have some sense of fashion, Chibi-chan. Unlike _some_ people.”

Oikawa glances in Tobio’s direction. Tobio chooses to ignore him and starts eating.

“Uh, actually, I was just quoting you. I don’t think there was anything wrong with the way Kageyama’s hair looked yesterday.”

Oikawa throws his head back and groans. “Why am I surrounded by morons? Normal people care how their hair looks!”

Iwaizumi snorts. “You’re the only moron here, idiot.”

“Hey! Don’t use that tone with me. I’m still angry with you.”

“I think my sister would be able to understand you,” Tobio says between bites. “She’s a hair and makeup artist. She takes her hair even more seriously than you, Oikawa-san.”

“Huh?!” Hinata says. “I didn’t know you have a sister, Kageyama!”

Tobio shrugs. “She’s a lot older than me. We don’t see each other very often.”

“Wait,” Oikawa interrupts. “One of your closest family members is a hair and makeup artist, and you _still_ never do anything with your hair?!”

“Why should I? Miwa is the hair artist, not me.”

Oikawa stares at him with huge, disbelieving eyes. Tobio frowns. Why does he make such a big deal out of it? It’s just hair. It doesn’t matter how it looks. As long as it doesn’t hang into his eyes, everything is fine.

“Maybe you shouldn’t encourage Kageyama to style his hair,” Hinata says slowly. “You might not like the consequences.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, if Kageyama starts caring about how he looks and puts a bit of work in, even more girls will start noticing him.”

Oikawa narrows his eyes. “Even _more_ girls?”

“Yeah. Believe it or not, I heard girls at school talking about how handsome Kageyama is a couple of times.”

Tobio blinks. “What the hell are you talking about, dumbass? None has ever confessed to me before.”

Hinata rolls his eyes. “That’s because you’re too intimidating, and dating anyone but your soulmate is frowned upon. Besides, girls quickly lose interest in you when they see you doing stupid shit, like sleeping in class.”

Tobio huffs and takes another bite. “Everyone sleeps during classes.”

“Yeah, but most people don’t drool.”

“I don’t drool.”

“Yes, you...wait, I just got the best idea ever!” Tobio narrows his eyes. Hinata’s ideas usually aren’t very good. “You should convince your sister to show you how to style your hair! Then more girls will start noticing you, and then maybe we’ll get our very own volleyball fan club. It’d be fun if more people cheered us on during matches!”

Tobio shakes his head. “Forget it.”

“ _Why_?”

“You think I want to walk around like _that_ from now on?” Tobio gestures towards Oikawa’s head. “It looks ridiculous.”

“It doesn’t look that bad. I could get used to you walking around with the Great King’s hairstyle.”

Tobio takes a deep breath. Why do they always end up talking about such absurd topics? “I said forget it. I don’t want to make my hair every day. It takes too much time. Besides, why do you even _want_ a fan club? It won’t make us play any better.”

“You’re kidding me, right? Have you seen the way Tanaka-san and Noya-san react when they think girls will cheer them on? It would make them play better than ever!”

Tobio frowns. “They should play their best regardless of who’s watching them. Besides, I don’t think girls will start watching our matches if I change my hairstyle. That’s utterly ridiculous!”

“Because you’re _such an expert_ on stuff like that!”

Suddenly, there is a loud screeching, and Tobio’s head snaps to the side. Oikawa just stood up, and he’s smiling down at them. Something about Oikawa’s face looks off, but he can’t say why.

Oikawa clears his throat. “That was the best breakfast I had in ages, don’t you agree?”

Tobio furrows his brow. Has Oikawa really finished eating already? Tobio isn’t even half-way done.

Oikawa rolls his eyes. “You know what, you can talk about whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“What’s wrong?” Tobio asks, beyond confused. It kind of sounds like Oikawa _does_ care.

Oikawa sighs and mutters something that sounds like “as dense as a brick” before he turns around and leaves the room.

Tobio blinks. What the hell did just happened? Oikawa looked pissed. But _why_?

Hinata chuckles. “Wow. The Great King has bigger issues than I thought.”

Iwaizumi sighs. “Don’t worry about it, Kageyama. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Tobio frowns and takes another bite, wondering if he will ever understand what goes on in Oikawa’s head.


End file.
